Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada

The Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) hosts the world’s largest mining, mineral exploration and development convention annually. Over the years, there had been a noticeable drop in the number of accredited media attending the event and a decline in the number of articles generated about the PDAC initiatives and the mineral exploration and development industry in general. In 2009, the PDAC retained PR Associates to address the challenge of:

1) Increasing attendance of working journalists at PDAC

2) Increasing the amount of media coverage specifically mentioning the PDAC organization, and highlighting its initiatives and the mineral exploration and development industry in general.

The Solution

PR Associates developed a proactive international media relations campaign to attract local, national and international media to the convention. First, PR Associates connected with existing media contacts and began developing new relationships with accredited journalists around the world. Then, using the PDAC’s five strategic initiatives as a foundation (Aboriginal Affairs, Corporate Social Responsibility, Human Resources, Environment, and Health and Safety),  PR Associates pitched journalists interesting and newsworthy stories highlighting one or more of the initiatives. At the same time, PR Associates encouraged journalists to attend and report from the convention in person. PR Associates also worked with PDAC spokespeople and content experts to identify key messages and trained them to deliver these messages in an effective way. Onsite at the convention, PR Associates managed the media room and acted as a resource for the media. This significantly increased contact between the media and PDAC content experts over previous years.

The Results

The PDAC’s media relations success at the 2009 convention resulted in PDAC retaining PR Associates for the conventions in 2010, 2011 and 2012; over the course of three years, general attendance and media registration has increased significantly. In 2008, 135 members of media attended the PDAC. In 2011, 315 accredited media attended, representing an increase of 233 percent.  Media coverage focused on PDAC initiatives has also increased: from 64 articles in 2008 to more than 535 in 2011, an 835 percent increase that has generated print, radio, TV, and online coverage in global media markets. In addition overall coverage from the convention has increased with 900 articles and 110 broadcast stories in 2011.